Crowdsourcing food security: introducing food choice derivatives for sustainability

Global food supply chains are unprepared for the increasing number and severity of the expected environmental, social and economic shocks in the coming years. The price-setting process of commodities is directly impacted by such shocks, influencing consumer behavior regarding food choice and consumption. Both the market and advances in precision agriculture drive increased production and consumption. However, there has been a lack of consideration of how consumer behavior could be harnessed to mitigate such shocks through decreased consumption and reduced waste. The SAPPhIRE model of causality was applied to design sustainable and ecologically embedded futures derivatives that could have a role in affecting commodity markets. Multi-agent systems were combined with artificial intelligence and edge computing to provide the necessary functionality. The impact of war in Ukraine was used to exemplify the design of consumer “food choice” derivatives. This resulted in a mechanism to bring aggregated acts of consumer compassion and sustainability to commodities markets to mitigate food security shocks. When implementing food choice derivatives, care must be taken to ensure that consumer food choices are rational and compatible with individual nutritional needs and financial situations, and that the legitimate interests of agri-food businesses are protected

Surviving the storm: navigating the quadruple whammy impact on Europe’s food supply chain

This article explores the impact of the ‘Quadruple Whammy’ consisting of Brexit, COVID-19, Conflicts (Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine) and Natural disasters on the food supply chain in Europe. This research adopted a two-phase methodology comprised of the e-Delphi technique followed by the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) approach within the context of these four identified challenges. The objective of this article is to analyse the challenges faced by the European food supply chain due to these four factors. The article examines the impact of political isolationism such as Brexit on trade, cost and border controls, while also discussing the effects of COVID-19 on labour, supply chains and the rise of e-commerce. In addition, the article examines the impact of conflicts on food access and availability and the role of international aid and assistance. The effects of natural disasters, such as the Turkish and Moroccan earthquakes, floods in Spain and Portugal and the Moroccan drought, on food security are also analysed. The article offers several strategies for taming the quadruple whammy, such as investing in local food production and supply chains, diversifying supply chains and trade partnerships and strengthening food safety regulations and standards. The importance of building resilience and preparedness in the face of these challenges is emphasised and the article concludes with final thoughts and recommendations

Implementation of relevant fourth industrial revolution innovations across the supply chain of fruits and vegetables: a short update on Traceability 4.0

Food Traceability 4.0 refers to the application of fourth industrial revolution (or Industry 4.0) technologies to ensure food authenticity, safety, and high food quality. Growing interest in food traceability has led to the development of a wide range of chemical, biomolecular, isotopic, chromatographic, and spectroscopic methods with varied performance and success rates. This review will give an update on the application of Traceability 4.0 in the fruits and vegetables sector, focusing on relevant Industry 4.0 enablers, especially Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, blockchain, and Big Data. The results show that the Traceability 4.0 has significant potential to improve quality and safety of many fruits and vegetables, enhance transparency, reduce the costs of food recalls, and decrease waste and loss. However, due to their high implementation costs and lack of adaptability to industrial environments, most of these advanced technologies have not yet gone beyond the laboratory scale. Therefore, further research is anticipated to overcome current limitations for large-scale applications

From failure to success: a framework for successful deployment of Industry 4.0 principles in the aerospace industry

Purpose The paper proposes a framework for the successful deployment of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) principles in the aerospace industry, based on identified success factors. The paper challenges the perception of I4.0 being aligned with de-skilling and personnel reduction and instead promotes a route to successful deployment centred on upskilling and retaining personnel for future role requirements. Design/methodology/approach The research methodology involved a literature review and industrial data collection via questionnaires to develop and validate the framework. The questionnaire was sent to a purposive sample of 50 respondents working in operations, and a response rate of 90% was achieved. Content analysis was used to identify patterns, themes, or biases, and the data were tabulated based on specific common attributes. The proposed framework consists of a series of gates and criteria that must be met before progressing to the next gate. Findings The proposed framework provides a feedback mechanism to review minimum standards for successful deployment, aligned with new developments in capability and technology, and ensures quality assessment at each gate. The paper highlights the potential benefits of I4.0 implementation in the aerospace industry, including reducing operational costs and improving competitiveness by eliminating variation in manufacturing processes. The identified success factors were used to define the framework, and the identified failure points were used to form mitigation actions or controls for inclusion in the framework. Originality/value The paper provides a framework for the successful deployment of I4.0 principles in the aerospace industry, based on identified success factors. The framework challenges the perception of I4.0 as being aligned with de-skilling and personnel reduction and instead promotes a route to successful deployment centred on upskilling and retaining personnel for future role requirements. The framework can be used as a guideline for organizations to deploy I4.0 principles successfully and improve competitiveness

Birth of dairy 4.0: opportunities and challenges in adoption of fourth industrial revolution technologies in the production of milk and its derivative

Embracing innovation and emerging technologies is becoming increasingly important to address the current global challenges facing many food industry sectors, including the dairy industry. Growing literature shows that the adoption of technologies of the fourth industrial revolution (named Industry 4.0) has promising potential to bring about breakthroughs and new insights and unlock advancement opportunities in many areas of the food manufacturing sector. This article discusses the current knowledge and recent trends and progress on the application of Industry 4.0 innovations in the dairy industry. First, the “Dairy 4.0” concept, inspired by Industry 4.0, is introduced and its enabling technologies are determined. Second, relevant examples of the use of Dairy 4.0 technologies in milk and its derived products are presented. Finally, conclusions and future perspectives are given. The results revealed that robotics, 3D printing, Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, Big Data, and blockchain are the main enabling technologies of Dairy 4.0. These advanced technologies are being progressively adopted in the dairy sector, from farm to table, making significant and profound changes in the production of milk, cheese, and other dairy products. It is expected that, in the near future, new digital innovations will emerge, and greater implementations of Dairy 4.0 technologies is likely to be achieved, leading to more automation and optimization of this dynamic food sector

Emerging trends in the agri-food sector: digitalisation and shift to plant-based diets

Our planet is currently facing unprecedented interconnected environmental, societal, and economic dilemmas due to climate change, the outbreak of pandemics and wars, among others. These global challenges pose direct threats to food security and safety and clearly show the urgent need for innovative scientific solutions and technological approaches. Backed by the current alarming situation, many food-related trends have emerged in recent years in response to these global issues. This review looks at two megatrends in agriculture and the food industry; the shift to vegetable diets and the digital transformation in food production and consumption patterns. On one side, several innovative technologies and protein sources have been associated with more sustainable food systems and enhanced nutritional quality and safety. On the other side, many digital advanced technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of Things, blockchain, and 3D printing) have been increasingly applied in smart farms and smart food factories to improve food system outcomes. Increasing adoption of vegetal innovations and harnessing Industry 4.0 technologies along the food supply chain have the potential to enable efficient digital and ecological transitions

Use of Industry 4.0 technologies to reduce and valorize seafood waste and by-products: a narrative review on current knowledge

Fish and other seafood products represent a valuable source of many nutrients and micronutrients for the human diet and contribute significantly to global food security. However, considerable amounts of seafood waste and by-products are generated along the seafood value and supply chain, from the sea to the consumer table, causing severe environmental damage and significant economic loss. Therefore, innovative solutions and alternative approaches are urgently needed to ensure a better management of seafood discards and mitigate their economic and environmental burdens. The use of emerging technologies, including the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) innovations (such as Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, smart sensors, and the Internet of Things, and other advanced technologies) to reduce and valorize seafood waste and by-products could be a promising strategy to enhance blue economy and food sustainability around the globe. This narrative review focuses on the issues and risks associated with the underutilization of waste and by-products resulting from fisheries and other seafood industries. Particularly, recent technological advances and digital tools being harnessed for the prevention and valorization of these natural invaluable resources are highlighted

A framework and tool to support ecological embeddedness of manufacturers with regards to strategy formulation

The research presented in this thesis investigated the meaning and purpose of ecological embeddedness in manufacturing. The insights gained from this investigation were used to design and develop a framework for manufacturers that provides a systematic approach to strategy formulation for sustainability built on ecological embeddedness. A tool was then developed to support the implementation of the framework so that manufacturers are able to identify strengths and weaknesses in their strategy formulation in relation to current best practices and to enable comparison with competitors.The research contributions may be divided into four distinct parts. The first part includes a review of literature on ecological embeddedness, state-of-the-art strategic approaches of manufacturers to embedding sustainability, shortcomings of current frameworks and tools for embedding sustainability, and expert perspectives on how embedding sustainability is positioned with respect to sustainable development. A clear link is established between the need for manufacturers to become ecologically embedded and the achievement of sustainable development. Although ecocentric approaches to business sustainability and the importance of ecological embeddedness in achieving strong sustainability are recognised in the literature, this research highlights a lack of understanding of what the implications are for manufacturers. The review concludes that a systematic approach to support manufacturers in formulating ecologically embedded strategy is appropriate to achieving a sustainability transformation.The second part of the research defines the requirements for such a framework for use by manufacturers in formulating ecologically embedded strategy based on the findings of the review and additional research undertaken to understand the needs of manufacturers. A framework was developed that enables manufacturers to integrate corporate, business, operations, and sustainability strategies in a holistic and logical sequence incorporating feedback for continuous improvement. To support greater understanding of the framework, the causal characteristics of ecologically embedded products and the role of design of product, production and packaging are studied.The third part of the research is concerned with the design and development of a tool to support the implementation of the framework by manufacturers. This tool combines the requirements of the framework and best practices identified in the study of product characteristics and design of product, production and packaging, established in the second part, with user requirements informed by consultation with industrialists. The tool was designed to provide an assessment of current manufacturer practices across corporate, business, operations, and sustainability strategy to provide specific support as needed.Finally, the feasibility of the framework was demonstrated through two case studies based on manufacturers identified as being ecologically embedded. These case studies help to identify the benefits of ecologically embedded manufacturing. The tool was statistically validated through a survey of process manufacturers. The feedback from the survey of manufacturers who tested the tool highlights its perceived utility.In summary, this research clearly identifies the need to provide support for manufacturers in becoming ecologically embedded. The tool provides manufacturers a means of assessing and improving their strategy formulation for sustainability through practical identification of best practices and approaches to developing ecologically embedded relations that benefit both the economic actors (manufacturer and consumer) as well as the environment. By utilising the tool, manufacturers may identify areas for improvement and the enabling best practices in advance of legislative changes or erosion of competitive capabilities.</div

From Failure to Success: A Framework for Successful Deployment of Industry 4.0 Principles in the Aerospace Industry

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Feature extraction for artificial intelligence enabled food supply chain failure mode prediction

The Farm to Fork Strategy of the European Commission is a contingency plan aimed at always ensuring a sufficient and varied supply of safe, nutritious, affordable, and sustainable food to citizens. The learning from previous crises such as COVID-19 indicates that proactive strategies need to span numerous levels both within and external to food networks, requiring both vertical and horizontal collaborations. However, there is a lack of systematic performance management techniques for ripple effects in food supply chains that would enable the prediction of failure modes. Supervised learning algorithms are commonly used for prediction (classification) problems, but machine learning struggles with large data sets and complex phenomena. Consequently, this research proposes a manual approach to feature extraction for artificial intelligence with the aim of reducing dimensionality for more efficient algorithm performance, and improved interpretability/explainability for benefits in terms of ethics and managerial decision-making. The approach is based on qualitative comparative analysis informed by in-depth case knowledge which is refined through Boolean logic, yielding solutions that reflect complex causality as opposed to single failure point modes. Two case exemplars are presented to support the proposed framework for implementation: export readiness of dairy supply chains under the Russia-Ukraine war, and egg supply chain sustainability during COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom